Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by brain damage during development and results in problems with muscle tone, balance and motor skills. The location and extent of the brain damage can result in a wide range of different symptoms. There is no surefire...
A traumatic birth can cause a child to develop one of several conditions in which fine motor skills are compromised. Such conditions range from cerebral palsy to dysgraphia, and are typically caused by oxygen starvation occurring during a...
Many disorders can cause poor muscle tone, or hypotonia, in a newborn. Hypotonia may be a temporary condition related to birth trauma or prematurity or the result of a congenital abnormality such as Down syndrome. Hypotonia in a newborn requires...
A seizure is a symptom of an abnormal brain function. Seizures are divided into several classifications, which include grand mal, petit mal and partial. Common symptoms include a loss of consciousness, changes in emotion, changes in vision and...
Facial paralysis is the inability to voluntarily move one side of the face. According to Medline Plus, facial paralysis can be caused by infection, stroke, Lyme disease, brain tumor, birth trauma, sarcoidosis, Ramsay Hunt syndrome and Bell's...
Approximately 5 percent of all children in public schools have a learning disability, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. These are children with normal intelligence, but who have differences in the structure or function of...
Polish biochemist Casimir Funk first theorized that your diet can influence your health due to the presence of what he called "vital amines" in the foods you eat. Funk learned that a lack of vitamin B1 resulted in a disorder called beriberi, and...
According to the American Heart Association, strokes affect around 11 in 100,000 children under age 18 each year, and around 1 in 4,000 babies born each year. Stroke is one of the top ten causes of death in children; 20 to 40 percent of children...
Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by brain damage that occurs prior to, during or shortly after the birth of a child. As the location and extent of the brain damage varies tremendously, so do the symptoms that result from it. In general, however,...
Cerebral palsy is the name for a condition in which brain damage affects areas that control muscle movement. Cerebral palsy affects fewer than 1 percent of babies born overall but affects up to 15 percent of premature infants. Cerebral palsy does...
You may perceive vitamins as harmless nutritional aids, but it's smart to seek information about possible interactions between the vitamins you take and the prescription medications your doctor prescribes. Interactions between drugs and vitamins...
Nerve damage can happen anywhere in the vast network of nerves, which are the communication system of your body. The term "peripheral neuropathy" is what describes any kind of damage done to your nerves. Exercise has been shown to alleviate nerve...
Neonatal jaundice, a common condition in newborns occurs when a baby accumulates too much bilirubin in his body. Parent's and caregivers will see a yellow discoloration in the baby's skin and the white part of his eyes. In physiologic jaundice,...
A seizure occurs when brain activity is interrupted and causes physical spasms or unconsciousness. Many people experience a seizure as a result of a temporary condition for no apparent reason and never have another one, report doctors at the...
Cranialsacral therapy is not a massage as we typically think of it, although it can be considered a type of bodywork. The therapy uses very light tough to connect to the cranial bones, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the central nervous system...
There are two major nerves in the face: the facial and trigeminal nerves. According to the Face and Emotion website, the facial, or seventh cranial nerve, carries the signals that control the muscles of expression of the face. The trigeminal, or...
A Caesarean section, also known as a c-section, can be completed in as little as 30 minutes and rarely takes longer than 45 minutes. Regional anesthesia, usually in the form of an epidural, is used except in an emergency where general anesthesia...
While the ideal is a natural, uninterrupted birth, there are circumstances when intervention and anesthesia become necessary. Unfortunately these are not without side effects to both mother and baby. The adverse consequences increase in direct...
Red blood cells continually recycle in the body and when old cells die, the byproduct results in a yellow pigment called bilirubin. Normally, your liver processes it and removes it from the body via bowel movements. Without adequate excretion,...
Neonatal jaundice refers to the yellow discoloration of a newborn's skin and eyes. It is a very common reason for parents to seek medical attention during the first week of a baby's life. In fact, about half of all full-term babies and 80...
Depression during pregnancy is not discussed as commonly as postpartum depression, but it does exist. According to the American Pregnancy Association, up to 20 percent of women suffer from depression during pregnancy. It is important for women to...
Sometimes trauma to the brain results in seizures. Brain trauma may occur following a variety of incidents including a car accident or sports injury. Injury to the brain may also occur during birth trauma or a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), more...
If you are pregnant, excess amniotic fluid can increase your chances of developing gestational diabetes, characterized by high blood glucose levels. Having too much amniotic fluid may also be a signal that you have gestational diabetes. This...
Jaundice is a condition that occurs when bilirubin, a yellow substance produced by the liver, accumulates within the body. Newborn infants with jaundice develop an unusual yellow discoloration of the skin and white of the eyes. Though mild,...
The adrenal gland is an endocrine organ that sits on top of the kidney and it produces hormones that have widespread effects on the regulation and response of the body. The adrenal gland is part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is...
Witnessing your baby having a seizure can be frightening for any parent. A seizure occurs when nerve cells in the brain become abnormally active and electrically excitable. This activity becomes chaotic, causing a seizure; if it originates from...
Quite often after delivery, newborn babies have yellow-looking skin. This yellow discoloration, known as neonatal jaundice, is one of the most common conditions in newborns, and requires evaluation and treatment by medical professionals, according...
More people are overweight or obese today than ever before, says the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, or CDPHE. The number of women who are of childbearing age and overweight or obese is increasing. Pre-pregnancy body mass...
Gestational diabetes is a condition that affects some women during their pregnancy. It occurs when a woman who has never had diabetes develops high levels of blood sugar. According to the American Diabetes Association, about four percent of all...
